First Things First

        Sometimes we do things just for self-improvement, fun, or recreation, and wonder if we are serving God. The important thing is that whenever it becomes clear that you need to do something to serve God, you must put aside whatever you are doing or enjoying and respond to God's prompting or calling without delay.

**Ultimate Freedom

        The ardent wish of God the Father is that we abandon ourselves in him, and this makes it the exclusive goal of our life. Once we are totally in the Father, all power flows from him through us to accomplish his will. This is ultimate freedom! 

***Having the Utmost

        If you have Christ, you have everything you'll ever need, for God is now yours forever!

Enjoying God

        Communion experience. The Lord and I already dwell in each other. Continuing receiving him in the Holy Eucharist merely enhances my enjoyment of him.

Ready for Heaven

        Communion time thought. When you truly desire to receive the Lord, you are ready to be taken into heaven.

Reality of What We Face

        Picture that we face myriad roads for us to choose to travel on. All the roads except one look alluring, for they are wide, flat, nicely paved and lined with all kinds of attractions along both sides, and you see big crowds already going down each. It seems that any of these roads will lead you to more fun, although you are not sure what you'll find at the end. The road that is different intrigues you, for it's the only one that seems narrow, steep, barren, and somewhat deserted. Although you hardly see anyone traveling on it, you do suspect that you might be pleasantly surprised by what you find at the end. 

        Well, the attractive roads are the roads that lead you straight into the world, while the unattractive one is the one to God. The reasons that you do not see many people on the road to God are that not many chose to take it and that those who had gone ahead had already been picked up and transported fast and comfortably to God.    

        Reality. Seeing is deceiving and the world lures us and blinds us from seeing God. 

Miracles Abound

        God does not wish that we believe in him for miracles alone. Nevertheless, he has been performing them from the beginning of time to the present day. The greatest miracle for me has to be the Incarnation of Christ, which is the Son of God descending from heaven to become man for us and for our salvation. His Resurrection that followed has to be the next greatest one. By the way, Christianity is distinguished from all other religions by its abundant miracles.

God Drawing

        Today is the memorial of Saint Clare. At church before Mass began, I had the intense desire to know God more by having him reveal his thoughts and ways to me. Naturally, as my creator, he already knows all about me and he has infinite things to show me too. I can see that in heaven we'll have a great time getting to know the Lord thoroughly.   

*Letting the World Go

       Recently, someone I know bought a luxury home for over $4 million in an exclusive neighborood. Another relative of one of my relatives is on the verge of becoming very wealthy, for his IT business is becoming widely popular. So what am I going to do? First, I wish them both well and pray for their souls as I always do for all souls. Then, I will continue holding onto Christ who grants me his heavenly peace. The eternal Lord is infinitely more precious than all the perishable riches of the world put together. I totally hear Jesus when he said to his disciples in today's Gospel reading from Matthew 16, "What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life?"

Holy Presence in Your Heart

        Communion thoughts. Christ is the only one who can enter, dwell in, and cleanse our hearts. After you receive the Holy Eucharist, this very Lord is now present in your heart!